The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for providing equipment at a well site or other remote location and, in particular, a mobile platform on which equipment is mounted.
To produce hydrocarbons (e.g., oil, gas, etc.) from a subterranean formation, wellbores may be drilled that penetrate hydrocarbon-containing portions of the subterranean formation. The wellbores are frequently located at well sites that are distant from facilities and services and any equipment needed at the well site must be transported over roads that may include unimproved dirt roads.
Generally, after a wellbore has been drilled to a desired depth, completion operations are performed. Such completion operations may include inserting a liner or casing into the wellbore and, at times, cementing the casing or liner into place. Once the wellbore is completed as desired (lined, cased, open hole, or any other known completion), a stimulation operation may be performed to enhance hydrocarbon production into the wellbore. Examples of some common stimulation operations involve hydraulic fracturing, acidizing, fracture acidizing, and hydrajetting. Stimulation operations are intended to increase the flow of hydrocarbons from the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore into the wellbore itself so that the hydrocarbons may then be produced up to the wellhead.
Various types of surface equipment, such as pumps, mixers, and manifold systems may be required at the well site in order to accomplish these completion and stimulation operations. Many of the operations are performed once or only at infrequent intervals and, therefore, the surface equipment is often only required for short periods of time. In such circumstances, the equipment is typically brought to the well site on trucks, such as tractor-trailers, used to perform the operation, and then removed via the truck.
Traditional oil field service equipment commonly employs over-the-road trailer frame designs to carry the equipment to the well site and then function as a platform to operate the equipment during the service work. The traditional trailer frame designs, however, do not function well as a working platform. For instance, the working platform of a traditional trailer frame is often several feet above the ground in order to provide road clearance. In most cases, the height of the working platform exceeds the height of the rear tires, thereby requiring ladders to access the platform and fall protection equipment for operators and maintenance personnel. Moreover, equipment may hang down on the outside of a traditional frame to improve the accessibility by a worker standing on the ground. In such scenarios, however, this may increase the risk of damage to the equipment during transport from road obstructions common to unimproved roads. Accordingly, optimal mounting of equipment and its orientation is routinely inhibited by the traditional frame rails.